"Survivor", the Foreign Edition By: Katey Wnek and Lauren Kauders Scared, nervous, yet excited and anxious were the words used to describe Ina and Emily's outlook on their first trip to America. Both are teenagers that are accustomed to the usual scene of clubbing, city going, coffeehouses, shopping and frequent outings with friends. Seventeen year old Emily Rosenqvistfrom Stockholm, Sweden, and Ina Yanakieva, who will be turning eighteen years old in November, from Plovidv, Bulgaria both agreed that living without the security of their family and friends in America would be a challenging experience. Since Emily and Ina are the first official foreign exchangestudent of SBHS, we immediately approached them, so we could write a story and inform the student body of their own version of Survivor in our High School. VV: To start off, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself in terms of your friends and family. Emily: Well, I was born in Stockholm, Sweden and when I was six years old I moved to Los Angeles, California with my family. My sister Michelle was born there and three years later when I was nine we moved back to Sweden. Ina: I was born in Bulgaria, a little country in Europe. I was born in the second biggest town, Plovidv, and I have an older sister Tania who's twentyyears old. VV: What do you like to do in your free time with your friends back at home? What are your interests? Emily: We basically do the same stuff you do here. Go into the city, go shopping, hang out at each other's houses and go to parties. Ina: In Bulgaria we have a special place we like to go to called One Man's Street and there are no cars there only people. You can see people all over and meet lots of friends there and go to clubs and coffee houses. I went to Princeton here and it reminds of home. VV: Do you play any sports? Emily: Not really, I enjoy playing volleyball. I really would have liked getting involved with the team, but I came too late in the year. VV: How is the U.S. different from where you live in terms of what people like to wear and eat? Is the atmosphere any different? Emily: What people wear is pretty much the same, I was a bit worried when I heard about the rules about what you can wear, they don't really have that where I live. There are a lot more fast food restaurants here,we have McDonalds and Burger King and places like that but we don't eat as much of it as people do here. Ina: Well, I can't really talk about the whole United States because I've only been to New Jersey, but when I came here for the first time I was surprised because there are a lot of woods and wild animals all around and that's notreally typical for where I live. I live in a city and we can only see wild animals in the mountains in Bulgaria, but here in New Jersey I've seen deer everywhere and it was kind of weird, I was very surprised. VV: What were your feelings as you flew over to a totally different country? How did you adapt to the country when you came here? Did you really miss yourfamily and friends? Emily: Well I flew over about a week before school so I was nervous aboutmeeting the family I was going to stay with, and hoped I would get along withthem. I miss my friends and my sister and have talked to my family over the phone twice and my friends once. Ina: Of course I was excited because I've been waiting for this for many years. This was my dream to study abroad so I was very much excited and curious. This is a big step for me, and I knew this trip would be good for my English and studies and hopefully would be a great experience for me. However, it hasn't been easy adapting. I miss laughing with my friends and smiling with them and even though everyone is so nice here, it's not the same. VV: How did you arrange your stay here? How long will you stay here? Emily: I'm staying with my cousins that live here and so far, I'm getting along with them great. Ina: I'm staying with a very nice family. They're very sweet people and they really care about me. I came a couple weeks ago and I will stay for ten months. VV: If someone were to travel abroad and study in a different country, what advice would you give him or her so that they could adapt easier and feel less uptight? Emily: First of all, I don't think you should have any expectations, be prepared for anything and accept people and the way they live because you're coming into a different country and you have to live with their culture. Ina: Try to make a lot of friends; they really care about you andwant to help you feel more comfortable. The more people you meet, the easier it becomes to adjust.